Morning Star
by ebonysilver
Summary: There's a new girl in town. Is she good? Is she bad? Is she human? - Alternative ending to season 2
1. Part I

Buffy strolled into the Sunnydale cemetry, just like she had been doing for the past one and a half years. She noticed the same old things. The big old tree that looked perfect to sit under on a summer day. The large Mausoleum that had been ransacked not so long ago by one of Spike's minions. Or were they Angel's now? Now she missed her Angel. Whenever things were going wrong she could run to him, but now it would be a death wish to do so.  
  
She slumped down against her usual gravestone and waited for the numerous dumb vampires to attack, thinking they had a chance against the almighty slayer.  
  
It had been only a few minutes before the first lot turned up. No great challenge. But she begun to feel like she was being watched and as the last minion approached her, she lost her slayer cool and was knocked to the floor. The vamp pinned her to the ground and was ready to strike... but never did.  
  
Buffy opened her eyes and was face to face with angel, in all his demonic glory.  
  
"Hey lover, looks like your night just went from bad to worse."  
  
"Yeah, but yours just decided to go from worse, to 'jeez I didn't know it could ever get that bad'" said a young voice from behind Angel.  
  
He stood up pulling Buffy up with him and slowly turned around, finally remembering who the voice belonged to.  
  
"Star. It's so nice to see you again."  
  
"Wish I could say the same Angelus. Well no I don't actually. Now wouldn't you rather fight someone more your own age?"  
  
Buffy grinned at the girl and then looked at Angel.  
  
He wasn't smiling.  
  
"Well if your thathappy to see me, I guess I'll just have to give you a few minutes of my time."  
  
With that Angel threw Buffy to the ground and ran towards Star. He leaped for her and successfully grabbed her arm pulling her down as he fell. Star got up not fazed by Angelus' attack and looked around for anything that could be used as a stake.  
  
Buffy, noticing what she was doing and the fact that Angel was already heading towards the mysterious girl, grabbed a stake out of her bag and threw it to her. Not realizing what she had done till it was too late.  
  
Star caught the stake and charged towards Angel coming to a complete stop only inches before him. He looked confused but then began to laugh.  
  
"What's the matter Star, all that goodness in you not lettin' ya kill me?"  
  
"No. Just don't want it to be so easy. You've gotten slow in your old age Angelus, not mentally and physically." Just then she reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small wooden cross and thrust it into his face.  
  
Angel staggered back and feel over a rather worn out head stone.  
  
"This isn't over StarS" called out Angel as he ran passed Buffy, knocking her down.  
  
"It never is." Star mumbled.  
  
She walked over to Buffy offering a hand up.  
  
"Who are you?" asked Buffy as she took the girl's hand.  
  
"My name's Star. Don't worry, I'm one of the good guy's and on your side. You are the Slayer, right?"  
  
Buffy dusted off her pants. "Yeah, but who are YOU?"  
  
"Take me to your watcher and I'll explain everything then." 


	2. Part II

"Giles! Giles!" Buffy yelled through out the Library.  
  
"Screaming isn't necessary Buffy, I'm right here."  
  
Giles looked at the girl accompanying Buffy. "Buffy you know I'm not too fond of you bringing friends here when your... er... working." Giles motioned for her to follow him out of the Library.  
  
"She knows Giles there's no need to tip toe around the subject. I'm the Slayer. Your the Watcher. Does anybody not know?"  
  
"So, Miss...?"  
  
"Star. Just Star."  
  
"Alright Star, who would you be? A demon, a watcher?"  
  
"She's a vampire." Buffy contributed as she parked herself on the counter.  
  
"Your a vampire?" Giles looked stunned.  
  
"I'm not a vampire. I'm a slayer."  
  
"Your a slayer?"  
  
"You can't be a slayer. I'm the slayer. Well not the only slayer, there's Kendra and everything but there can only be two slayers. Right Giles?" Buffy whined.  
  
"Um... well I'm not sure. I mean we only thought there was you until not so long ago."  
  
"I'm not a slayer." Star said as if talking to herself.  
  
"But you just aaid you were." Giles took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes in confusion.  
  
"Oh well, I am and I'm not and I was. That also goes for the vampire thing too."  
  
"Huh?" Buffy climbed off the counter and walked over to Star.  
  
"Look I think you should start from the beginning and work from there instead of getting all cryptic. Okay?"  
  
"Okay, here goes. My real name is Samantha Carroll. Around 500 years ago I crossed over and was made a Vampire. Before that I was a Slayer pretty much like yourself, Buffy. My watcher, Christos, was the same as any other, he made me work hard and always train.  
  
"Now it all began on a night like any other, expect for the fact that all the planets in the solar system had aligned perfectly. Christos had sent me out on patrol through the twon. I usually went on patrol there but the fact that I was sent out on a night like that was what made it unusual. See in my time, people were very superstitious and a plantery alignment was not recorded in any of the scriptures, or so I was told.  
  
"I didn't argue with Christos knowing that it was wrong to disrespect my elders."  
  
Giles gave Buffy a 'why aren't you like that?' look.  
  
"If I was like that Giles, you probably wouldn't like me as much." Buffy answered cheerfully.  
  
"Anyway, I went out and patrolled in the usual fashion only to be completely surrounded by camps in a matter of seconds. I new I couldn't beat them all but gave it a go. I was right. I closed my eyes hoping it would dull the pain, and just before he striked I looked up almost instinctively to see my so called watcher staring back.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"I woke up moments later in a large room that I could only make out to be a type of arena. The lights came on and I stood up. I looked around, there seemed to be hundreds of people seated before me. I recofnized Christos immediately and was sure that the person next to him was the head of the watchers council. The slightly old man began to explain to me that my fate was foretold in the scriptures, I was to be the greatest fighting machine the council would have against the demons and evil.  
  
"All through the watchers little speech I didn't smile but stared in disbelief at my watcher, my ex-watcher. As the room filled with cheers I began to panic. What had happened to me? Why did I feel so, strange? Being a normal 18 year old, I screamed. The room was silent. My eyes darted from person to person and in a flash, I ran.  
  
"I didn't know why I was running and for some reason I didn't have to. I could hear the desperate cries for my return as I left the building. I ran and ran 'till I was out of breath. But I wasn't. I collapsed to the floor remembering allthat had happened. The look on Christos' face as he sent me to patrol. The vampires that had encircled me last night. Last night. It was day time and I was a vampire but I wasn't burning in the sun.  
  
"For the following years I learnt all the secret powers that I had gained. I could walk around during the day but had wonderful night vision. I had the strength of a slayer and a vampire. But most important of all, I was still myself. I could feel the demon inside of me but I could also feel myself keeping it at bay. I found that If I drank blood it would give me the strength I needed to fight and still be myself. I would drink from humans making sure I would not kill them.  
  
"I used my strength to help fight the evil. I might be a vampire but I will always think of myself as a slayer. I would help other slayers fight and I would control the vampire populations overseas. I ran into many vampires in my time, great and small. Angelus was one of them. He and I have been fighting ever since he was turned. I wasn't surprised he was here.  
  
"This is the way I have been living for the past 468 years. This is why I hate the watchers council. This is why I'm here, to help."  
  
Star seated herself at the table and waited for a reaction. 


	3. Part III

"Your watcher was a bad? Wow! How, well, bad." Buffy stated in-between sips of her juice.  
  
"I don't remember reading anything about you in the watcer's diaries."  
  
"I'm not surprised. I wouldn't think they would record being humiliated by a slayer, of all people."  
  
"So your a bit of everything, looks like I'll finally be able to take that holiday to Disney Land I've been waiting for."  
  
"Afraid not Buffy. You see I've been doing a little reading and something big's gonna happen in Sunnydale real soon and we'll need all the help that we can get." Giles stated, slightly sadended that the slayer, his slayer, won't be getting a break just yet.  
  
"What? I haven't read anything about, well, anything." said Star.  
  
"I have."  
  
Everyone turned towards the door to see Kendra, the Vampire Slayer.  
  
"Kendra. What are you doing here?" Buffy got up to greet her friend. "Oh right, no hugs."  
  
"My watcher sent me again. Somethin' must be happenin'"  
  
"Did Mr. Zabuto t-tell you what was going to happen?"  
  
"I'm sorry sir but he did not."  
  
"No problem really, I guess we'll just have to do a little research that's all. I'll go and call Willow and Xander."  
  
Star looked up from the book she acquired. You have friends that know of your duties?"  
  
"Why does it always surprise everyone that I have a life?" Buffy walked over to where Giles was making his phone calls.  
  
"I asked her the same thing. You are?" inquired Kendra.  
  
Buffy called from across the room. "She's also a slayer, with a pinch of vampire."  
  
Kendra gave Star a confused yet menacing look.  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
"Oh." Kendra walked towards the bookshelves trying to recall such a being.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"...and that's how it happened." Star once again completed her story, with must less enthusiasm as the last time.  
  
"Wow! So you can still go down to the beach and get a tan?" Xander asked.  
  
"I have a bit of trouble in that department, not that I have time to go down to the beach and things like that." Star stood up and walked over to where Willow was at the computer. "So, found anything on here that might help?"  
  
"Nah just a few birthdays of dead evils but nothing that could be so epic."  
  
"Maybe your sources were running by the old calendars. You know the ones you buy at the gas station with the puppies on them." Xander said honestly.  
  
"I love those. They're just so cute, in a... oh. Nevermind." Willow went back to her screen.  
  
"I'm being real serious here. There is going to be something big and bad and big."  
  
"You said that one." Giles stated as he came back into the main area of the library carrying a whole pile of old books.  
  
"You know, just emphasizing."  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"So your sure your mom won't mind?"  
  
"Nah, I think she'd be rather pleased to see that I know people outside of my own little circle. It will help convince her that I'm normal."  
  
Buffy and Star walked down the dimly lit street towards Buffy's hourse. Buffy was a little worried not for Star, but herself. If Angel was going to chose this time to attack she was sure that she wouldn't be able to beat him. She was also sure though that Star was.  
  
Buffy didnt' know too much about Star but she felt safe with her and with that many years of experience she knew why. The way Star acted though made her feel uneasy, she knew she was hiding something, but wasn't going to try and get it out of her. She had learnt that from Angel. Sometimes the truth hurts and she had just enough pain for now.  
  
They walked up to the house and Joyce opened the door.  
  
"Buffy, where have you been?"  
  
Buffy knew that not what her mother was going to say because of the obvious company but she went along with it. "I was at Willow's, she was helping me study."  
  
Joyce motion towards Star.  
  
"Oh yeah, this is my friend Star. She's ahhh..."  
  
"I'm Willow's cousin."  
  
"Yeah that's right Willow's cousin. Will it be okay if she stayed with us for a bit?" Buffy leaned towards her mum and put on her pleading face.  
  
"Well sure, yes, but if she's Willow's cousin shouldn't she be staying with Willow?"  
  
Buffy and Star exchanged dumbfounded glances. Star finally spoke up.  
  
"Well you see mRs. Summers..."  
  
"Joyce, please."  
  
"Joyce. Ummm... well, Willow is my cousin, but... well I'm kind of the black sheep of the family you see. Me and Willow are great friends but I'm not very welcome at her house."  
  
Joyce wondered off seeming happy with the lie. Buffy grinned at her counter part and followed her mom in. Star stood at the door.  
  
"Oh sorry, I forgot, come on in." Buffy waved Star in and they made their way up stairs.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
"Eureka!" Giles stood up yelling, waking the sleepy Willow.  
  
"Huh... um... what?" she mumbled.  
  
"I found it. It has to be it."  
  
"Well?" Willow turned of the computer and staggered over to Giles and his books.  
  
"Well it's quite obvious really, I don't know why I didn't notice this before."  
  
"Giles?"  
  
He could tell she was one very tired Slayerette and she really should have gone home when Xander left but he was glad he had sosmeone to share his discovery with. He didn't know why but he always loved discovereing things like this, even if they were bad.  
  
"Winter's Gift." 


End file.
